Method and apparatus for presenting content of images

ABSTRACT

The present invention is a method for presenting the content of images, in which, out of images that include at least moving images and can be segmented into a plurality of scenes, groups of two or more key images included in the individual scenes are extracted, and a digest screen of the images, which include the groups of key images, is organized. The method is characterized in that a scene segmenting step of generating individual segmented scenes and the following three steps for each scene are provided: a key-image extracting step, a preceding-and-following-key-image extracting step of extracting at least one still image time-oriented preceding the key image and/or at least one still image time-oriented following the key image, and a key-image weighting step of assigning a weight to the key image on the basis of a predetermined measure. Moreover, at least, a scene organizing step of disposing the preceding and following key images in the neighborhood of the corresponding key images, and enabling or disabling the display of the key images and expanding or contracting the key images according to the corresponding weights to organize a digest screen and a screen displaying step of displaying the digest screen are provided.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus forprocessing images, and in particular, relates to a method and anapparatus for presenting the content of images to organize digest imagesthat efficiently convey the content of images on the basis of the imagesthat include moving images and can be segmented into multiple scenes.

BACKGROUND ART

Recently, with the development of information and communicationstechnology including the Internet, image content such as digital imageinformation in various types of field has rapidly increased.

Image content can be viewed with, for example, a web browser. The imagesmay be viewed after files are downloaded from a server that stores theimages. Alternatively, the images may be viewed with, for example, asuitable web browser while the images are simultaneously being receivedfrom a streaming server.

In either case, the image content to be distributed is time-orienteddata. Thus, the image content needs to be fast-forwarded or rewound onbrowsing software such as a web browser in order to find or check anecessary part of the images.

In the former case, the images need to be downloaded all at once. Thus,even a part of the images cannot viewed until the files have beencompletely received even when a broadband connection that has beenrecently spread is used. On the other hand, in the latter case, theimages can be viewed upon storing a predetermined amount of images in abuffer. However, when images that start from a predetermined time areviewed, the images must be again stored in the buffer.

Thus, a problem exists, in that it is time-consuming and cumbersome tocheck the content of images. Accordingly, hitherto, two main techniqueshave been studied for checking the outline of images.

A first technique is a technique for presenting images on a web page ina clear way. For example, an interface has been proposed, in whichcontracted image segments and text information are provided side by sideon the web and the thumbnail images are expanded so as to seamlesslyreproduce the original images.

A second technique is a technique for generating and reproducing adigest of images within a specified period of time. For example, amethod for generating a digest depending on the purpose by assigningindexes, for example, tied score, come-from-behind win, and walk-offwin, directly to images in the case of sports images and a method forgenerating a digest using an automatic indexing technique are known.

In addition to these techniques, individual elemental techniques havebeen studied, for example, a method for having a grasp of story, amethod for selecting individual important scenes, and a method forgenerating a digest.

For example, a method is disclosed in International Publication No.WO00/17778, for generating index images in various forms using a videobrowser technique, in which the index images is still images thatrepresent the content of moving images in a condensed form. Moreover, animage displaying apparatus and a method is disclosed in InternationalPublication No. WO00/17779, for having a proper grasp of the content offast moving images or moving image including short scenes which is hardto grasp only with the aforementioned index images. This method issupposed to enable playback from the scene that a user wishes to watch.

Moreover, a system for extracting information that is used to retrievemoving image content and the like are disclosed in Japanese UnexaminedPatent Application Publication No. 2002-335473. In this system, a pieceof moving image content on the Internet is split into scenes, arepresentative still image is selected from each scene to create athumbnail image, and then the created thumbnail image is stored in amoving-image retrieval information database.

Moreover, an apparatus and a method for viewing digital image contentare disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No.2001-309269, in which pieces of image content distributed throughdigital broadcasting are each split into segments where each segmentrepresents a channel, a program, or a predetermined period of time,groups of icons corresponding to the segments are classified andarranged to be located at predetermined positions, and an image contentsegment can be displayed by viewing this arrangement from thecorresponding view point.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

In view of the conventional art, the present invention provides thefollowing means.

The invention according to Claim 1 is a method for presenting thecontent of images, in which, out of images that include at least movingimages and can be segmented into a plurality of scenes, groups of two ormore key images included in the individual scenes are extracted, and adigest screen of the images which includes the groups of key images, isorganized. The method includes, at least:

(1) a scene segmenting step of segmenting the images into individualscenes with scene segmenting means,

after the following (2) to (4) steps for each scene in step (1),

(2) a key-image extracting step of extracting a still image which ismade a key image at a point of time from each scene with key-imageselecting means,

(3) a preceding-and-following-key-image extracting step of extracting atleast one still image time-oriented preceding the key image and/or atleast one still image time-oriented following the key image from eachscene with preceding-and-following-key-image selecting means,

(4) a key-image weighting step of assigning a weight to the key image ineach scene on the basis of a predetermined measure with key-imageweighting means,

(5) a scene organizing step of, with scene organizing means, disposingthe key images in the individual scenes in time-oriented order,expanding or contracting the key images according to the correspondingweights, and organizing a digest screen on which the preceding andfollowing key images can be disposed in the neighborhood of thecorresponding key images, and

(6) a screen displaying step of displaying the digest screen with screendisplaying means.

The invention according to Claim 2 is characterized in that, in thekey-image weighting step, the key-image weighting means may furtherassign weights to the individual preceding and following key images onthe basis of the predetermined measure, and, in the scene organizingstep, the scene organizing means, according to the correspondingweights, may enable or disable the display of the preceding andfollowing key images and may expand or contract the preceding andfollowing key images when the preceding and following key images are tobe displayed to organize the digest screen.

In the invention according to Claim 3, the following steps may beprovided so that the details of scenes that include specified key imagescan be viewed.

(A) a detailed-key-image extracting step of, with the key-imageselecting means, in a case where key images or preceding and followingkey images are specified through the digest screen, extracting asdetailed key images at least two still images from scenes that includethe specified key images or preceding and following key images,

(B) a preceding-and-following-detailed-key-image extracting step ofextracting at least one still image time-oriented preceding eachdetailed key image and/or at least one still image time-orientedfollowing each detailed key image with thepreceding-and-following-key-image selecting means, and

(C) a detailed-key-image weighting step of assigning weights to thedetailed key images on the basis of a predetermined measure with thekey-image weighting means.

After the detailed key images are extracted, the following steps may beperformed: the scene organizing step, in which, with the sceneorganizing means, the preceding and following detailed key images aredisposed in the neighborhood of the corresponding detailed key imageswhile the detailed key images in the scenes are disposed intime-oriented order, and the detailed key images are expanded orcontracted according to the corresponding weights to organize a newdigest screen, and the screen displaying step, in which the new digestscreen is displayed with the screen displaying means.

Moreover, the invention according Claim 4, in addition to theaforementioned methods, provides a method for presenting the content ofimages, in which, in the detailed-key-image weighting step, thekey-image weighting means may further assign weights to the individualpreceding and following detailed key images on the basis of thepredetermined measure, and, in the scene organizing step, the sceneorganizing means may expand or contract the preceding and followingdetailed key images according to the corresponding weights to organizethe digest screen.

Moreover, in the invention according Claim 5, a text defining step of,for the key image and the preceding and following key images or thedetailed key images and the preceding and following detailed key imagesin the individual scenes, defining texts related to the correspondingstill images or the scenes that include the corresponding still imageswith text defining means may be provided. In the scene organizing step,the texts may be expanded or contracted on the basis of a predeterminedmeasure, and then the digest screen may be organized with the texts andthe corresponding still images.

The present invention can provide the following apparatus for presentingthe content of images. That is to say, an apparatus according to Claim 6includes, at least, means for inputting the images, scene segmentingmeans for segmenting the images into individual scenes, key-imageselecting means for extracting a still image which is made a key imageat a point of time, preceding-and-following-key-image selecting meansfor extracting at least one still image time-oriented preceding the keyimage and/or at least one still image time-oriented following the keyimage, key-image weighting means for assigning a weight to the key imageon the basis of a predetermined measure, scene organizing means fordisposing the key images in the individual scenes in time-orientedorder, expanding or contracting the key images according to thecorresponding weights, and organizing a digest screen on which thepreceding and following key images can be disposed in the neighborhoodof the corresponding key images, and screen displaying means fordisplaying the digest screen.

The apparatus for presenting the content of images according to Claim 7is characterized in that the key-image weighting means may furtherassign weights to the individual preceding and following key images onthe basis of the predetermined measure, and the scene organizing means,according to the corresponding weights, may enable or disable thedisplay of the preceding and following key images and may expand orcontract the preceding and following key images when the preceding andfollowing key images are to be displayed to organize the digest screen.

In the invention according to Claim 8, key-image specifying means forspecifying key images or preceding and following key images through thedigest screen may be provided. The key-image selecting means may extractas detailed key images at least two still images from scenes thatinclude the specified key images or preceding and following key images,the preceding-and-following-key-image selecting means may extract atleast one still image time-oriented preceding each detailed key imageand/or at least one still image time-oriented following each detailedkey image, and the key-image weighting means may assign weights to thedetailed key images on the basis of a predetermined measure.

On the basis of the detailed key images, the preceding and followingdetailed key images, and the corresponding weights, which are determinedin the aforementioned way, the scene organizing means may dispose thepreceding and following detailed key images in the neighborhood of thecorresponding detailed key images while disposing the detailed keyimages in the scenes in time-oriented order, and may expand or contractthe detailed key images according to the corresponding weights toorganize a new digest screen, and the screen displaying means maydisplay the new digest screen.

The invention according to Claim 9 provides an apparatus for presentingthe content of images, in which the key-image weighting means mayfurther assign weights to the individual preceding and followingdetailed key images on the basis of the predetermined measure, and thescene organizing means may expand or contract the preceding andfollowing detailed key images according to the corresponding weights toorganize the digest screen.

The invention according to Claim 10 is characterized in that textdefining means, for the key image and the preceding and following keyimages or the detailed key images and the preceding and followingdetailed key images in the individual scenes, for defining texts relatedto the corresponding still images or the scenes that include thecorresponding still images may be provided, and the text defining meansmay expand or contract the texts on the basis of a predetermined measureand then may organize the digest screen with the texts and thecorresponding still images.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a process flowchart of a method for presenting the content ofimages according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an apparatus for presenting the content ofimages according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a process flowchart according to a first embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 4 is a process flowchart according to a second embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 5 shows a screen for presenting the content of image according tothe present invention.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an apparatus for presenting the content ofimages according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a process flowchart according to a third embodiment of thepresent invention.

REFERENCE NUMERALS

10 step of scene segmentation

11 step of extraction of key image

12 step of extraction of preceding and following key images

13 step of assignment of weight to key image

14 step of image organization

15 step of display of images on screen

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Embodiments according to the present invention will now be describedwith reference to the drawings. Embodiments according to the presentinvention are not limited to those described below and can be changed asnecessary.

FIG. 1 shows a flowchart of a method for presenting the content ofimages according to the present invention. FIG. 2 shows the structure ofan apparatus for presenting the content of images according to thepresent invention.

First Embodiment

The apparatus 1 for presenting the content of images can be constitutedof a known personal computer and includes a CPU 2 that performsarithmetic processing, a memory 3 composed of a RAM and a ROM, anexternal storage unit 4 such as a hard disk, input unit 5 such as akeyboard and a mouse, a monitor 6 that displays output, and the like.

Moreover, in the apparatus 1, an image capturing unit 7 to insert imagesis connected to the CPU 2 and records on the external storage unit 4image signals from, for example, a video camera 8 and an imagedistribution server 9 on the Internet. In the present invention, it isassumed that captured image signals are time-oriented data and a stillimage at certain time can be extracted from the image signals by a knownimage processing method.

In step 10, images that are captured by the image capturing unit 7 aresubjected to scene segmentation process in a scene segmentation section21 in the CPU 2 by a known method, as shown in FIG. 1. A scene means aseries of images that have an independent meaning and is separated fromother scenes, for example, at a point where the camera angle changes orthe subject changes or at a break point in time.

In the scene segmentation process, a user may directly specify breakpoints between scenes with the input unit 5 while displaying images onthe monitor. Alternatively, a method for automatically performing scenesegmentation may be used: for example, a method based on colorvariation, in which a histogram of a certain image and the precedingimage in a segment of images is generated, and scene segmentation isperformed when the absolute value of the difference between these imagesis equal to or more than a threshold value, or a method for detectingbreak points by comparing the feature values of individual successiveimages (Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No.3-214364).

Moreover, more accurate scene segmentation can be performed by atechnique disclosed in, for example, Japanese Unexamined PatentApplication Publication No. 6-333048 or 2003-244628.

The individual segmented scenes are stored in the external storage unit4.

Then, in step 11, in a key-image selecting section 22, the individualscenes are read out from the external storage unit 4, and a key image isextracted from each scene. It is preferable that the key image be astill image that most appropriately represents each scene. The stillimage can be extracted from moving images as a frame or a picture.

In the case where key images are extracted from the individual scenes,the user may specify the individual key images with the input unit 5 tostore the corresponding still images in the external storage unit 4, orthe key images may be automatically extracted.

Any known method can be used as the method for automatically extractingkey images from individual scenes. For example, a method for extractingframes that are closest to the centers of time frames of individualscenes as key images and a method for extracting the leading frames ofindividual scenes as key images are methods for extracting key imageswithout complicated processing. Moreover, a method for extracting as akey image a frame that has a color histogram that is closest to theaverage of the color histograms of individual frames in thecorresponding scene is also appropriate.

Moreover, an important scene can be selected from a plurality of scenes.In this case, weight setting is performed on the individual scenes. Thefollowing methods are suitable as the methods for weight setting: forexample, a method for weight setting, in which the weight to be assignedto a scene increases as the length of the scene becomes longer and asthe degree of similarity between the scene and other scenes decreases,and another method for weight setting, in which the time-orientedvariation of semantic indexes assigned to scenes (for example, a changein score and the occurrence of events at points of time in sportsimages) is analyzed to grasp the story of entire images to some degreeand then the weights of the scenes are determined.

Then, in step 12, in a preceding-and-following-key-image selectingsection 23, still images each time-orientedly preceding and followingeach of the key images extracted by the key-image selecting section 22in the corresponding scene are extracted as preceding and following keyimages. The extracted preceding and following key images are also storedin the external storage unit 4.

In these steps, for each scene, a key image that represents the sceneand preceding and following key images each preceding and following thekey image are extracted.

In the present invention, in step 13, weights related to the degrees ofimportance of the key images and the preceding and following key imagesare assigned to these images in a key-image weighting section 24 in theCPU 2. The term “degree of importance” represents the degree ofimportance of the corresponding still image in the entire images. Theuser defines the degree of importance through the input unit 5. Forexample, the case of images captured in a baseball game will now bedescribed, assuming that a scene where a home run was hit exists in theentire images of the game. In the scene, a first image at the time whenthe home run was hit is the representative image and is regarded as thekey image, and a second image at the time when a batter stepped into thebatter box and a third image after the home run was hit are regarded asthe preceding key image and the following key image, respectively. Whenit is determined that the first image where the home run was hit is veryimportant in this game, for example, the user assigns a weight of 5 on afive-grade evaluation scale to the first image.

Moreover, in the present invention, step 30 of assigning weights topreceding and following key images may be added after step 13 ofassigning a weight to a key image, as shown in FIG. 3. In step 30, inthe key-image weighting section 24, weights are assigned to thepreceding and following key images in the same way as described above toorganize digest images.

That is to say, when the first scene of the home run is very important,a weight of 3 is assigned to the preceding and following key images.Moreover, in a scene where a hit was made, for example, weights of 4 and2 may be assigned to the corresponding key image and the correspondingpreceding and following key images, respectively.

In the arrangement in which key images are automatically extractedusing, for example, the corresponding feature values in step 11 ofextracting key images, such weight assignment may be automaticallyperformed on the basis of, for example, the feature values. Such atechnique is known in, for example, a method for extractingrepresentative images.

Then, the process proceeds to step 14 that is a main step in the presentinvention where image organization process is performed. This process isperformed by an image organizing section 25 in the CPU 2.

The present invention provides a method for presenting the content ofimages that has not been provided. In the present invention, a digestscreen 50 shown in FIG. 5 is displayed on the monitor 6 on the basis ofthe key images, the preceding and following key images, and the weightsassigned to these images.

A time line 51 that extends downward so as to represent thetime-oriented order is disposed on the left area of the digest screen,and times 52 of individual images are displayed on columns on the leftside of the time line 51. The times 52 may represent elapsed time fromthe start time of the images, the start time being set to zero, orabsolute time when the images were captured.

Then, the time line is divided so as to correspond to individual scenes,and key images and preceding and following key images corresponding toscenes 53, 54, 55, and 56 to which large weights are assigned aredisposed on the right side of the time line 51.

At this time, the sizes of the key images and the preceding andfollowing key images are increased or decreased according to the resultof the weight assignment, which characterizes the present invention. Forexample, in the scene 53, a key image 53 a is expanded to a thumbnailimage of the largest size according to the weight of 5, and a precedingkey image 53 b preceding the key image 53 a and a following key image 53c following the key image 53 a are displayed in a reduced size accordingto the weights of 2 and 1, respectively.

In the present invention, both of the preceding and following key imagesneed not always be extracted. Thus, when it is determined as the resultof the weight assignment that these images are not important, a weightof 0 may be assigned to these images so that these images are notdisplayed. This case is applicable to the scene 55. In the case of thescene 55, a preceding key image is not displayed, and a key image 55 ahaving a weight of 4 and a following key image 55 b having a weight of 3are expanded and contracted to be displayed, respectively. Thearrangement for determining whether preceding and following key imagesare to be displayed is not limited to the arrangement in which precedingand following key images are not displayed only when the weights ofthese images are zero, and an arrangement in which preceding andfollowing key images are not displayed when the weights of these imagesare equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value or anarrangement in which preceding and following key images are displayedonly when the weights of these images are equal to or more than athreshold value may be adopted.

As described above, the present invention is characterized in thatimages are segmented into scenes, key images and preceding and followingkey images are extracted from the scenes, weights are assigned to theseimages according to the degrees of importance of these images, the keyimages and the preceding and following key images are disposed intime-oriented order at the image organizing section 25, and the keyimages and the preceding and following key images are displayed or notdisplayed and are expanded or contracted according the weights of theseimages. As a result, an appropriate scene can be quickly selected fromimages. Moreover, important scenes are displayed in an increased size.Thus, a method for presenting the content of images can be provided, inwhich the user can readily have a grasp of the content of images.

Any measure can be used to represent the degree of importance, and thedegree of importance can be appropriately set in response to the contentof images. For example, in sports images, on a digest screen that mainlyrepresents the progress of a game, a high degree of importance needs tobe assigned to a scene where, for example, a nice play or an error wasmade. In this case, when, for example, the facial expressions of playersand the atmosphere created by the attendance need to be conveyed, scenesthat represent these situations are important. Thus, the degree ofimportance depends on the setting processes that are performed by theuser or the automatic processes in the key-image selecting section 22and the key-image weighting section 24.

In step 15, the digest screen 50 organized by the image organizingsection 25 is displayed on the monitor 6.

Second Embodiment

In the present invention, in addition to the aforementioned firstembodiment, the following arrangement may be added. FIG. 4 shows thisprocess. That is to say, after step 12 of extracting preceding andfollowing key images, while weight assignment is performed in step 13 ofassigning weights to key images, texts that describe the key images andthe corresponding preceding and following key images may be defined in atext defining section 26 in the CPU 2 in step 40. The user may inputthese texts through the input unit 5. Alternatively, when textscorresponding to times are assigned to images in advance, these textsmay be automatically defined as the aforementioned texts. The closedcaption technique that adds caption information to images is known as anexample of the latter case. When the closed caption information is used,the text defining section 26 reads out the information and assigns theinformation to a scene or a still image that is being displayed. Thedefined texts, together with the scene or the still image, are stored inthe external storage unit 4.

Then, in the image organizing section 25, when still images are read outfrom the external storage unit 4, the corresponding texts are also readout. Then, for example, texts 53 d and 55 d are respectively inserted ina part just under the key images 53 a, 53 b, and 53 c and a part justunder the key images 55 a and 55 b on the digest screen 50.

Thus, in a case where the user views still images, even when the stillimages are illegible because the still images are thumbnail images, theuser can readily have a grasp of the content of images. This contributesto the method for efficiently presenting the content of images.

Moreover, texts can be displayed in an increased or reduced size asnecessary. For example, weights are assigned to individual texts inadvance, and then the texts can be displayed with characters having beenexpanded or contracted according to the weights of the individual texts.Alternatively, the texts can be displayed in an increased or reducedsize according to the weights of the corresponding key images.

Third Embodiment

In the present invention, a key-image specifying section 27 may beprovided, as shown in FIG. 6, so that, in a case where the userspecifies key images or preceding and following key images through theinput unit 5 at the time of viewing images, the details of thecorresponding scenes that include these key images can be displayed.

In this case, when key images are selected by the key-image selectingsection 22 after scene segmentation is performed by the scenesegmentation section 21 in the first embodiment, second, third, and soforth detailed key images that represent the corresponding scenes areextracted and stored in the external storage unit 4. When this operationis manually performed, the most representative image in one scene isselected as the key image, and other representative images are selectedas the detailed key images. When this operation is automaticallyperformed, for example, an image that has the highest feature value isselected as the key image, and other images that have feature valuesthat are equal to or more than a predetermined threshold value areselected as the detailed key images.

Moreover, in the preceding-and-following-key-image selecting section 23,corresponding images are defined as preceding and following detailed keyimages for the individual detailed key images in the similar way asdescribed above.

In the key-image weighting section 24, weights are assigned to thesedetailed key images and preceding and following detailed key images andstored in the external storage unit 4. At this time, descriptive textsmay be defined in the text defining section 26 as necessary.

As a result of the aforementioned processing, when the user specifieskey images through the key-image specifying section 27, the imageorganizing section 25 reorganizes detailed images and preceding andfollowing detailed images in the corresponding scenes according to theweights of these images in the similar way as described above, and thenthe reorganized digest screen 50 is displayed on the monitor 6.

The process described above is a process in which detailed key imagesand the like are defined in advance. As shown in FIG. 7, in the processdescribed above, in a case where it is determined in step 70 that keyimages have been specified, the process proceeds to step 14 where imageorganization is performed, as indicated by a flow 71. On the other hand,in a case where the whole process from step 11 where key images areextracted to step 30 where weights are assigned to preceding andfollowing key images is automatically performed, after it is determinedin step 70 that key images have been specified, step 11 of extractingkey images, step 12 of extracting preceding and following key images,step 13 of assigning weights to key images, and step 30 of assigningweights to preceding and following key images may be again performed bythe CPU 2 in the corresponding scenes, as indicated by a flow 72, andthe screen may be reorganized. In this case, detailed key images andpreceding and following detailed key images can be extracted by changinga threshold value for feature values, as described above.

In these processes, the detailed key images out of images around thecorresponding time may be displayed by specifying a predeterminedportion of the time line 51 through the input unit 5, instead ofspecifying key images and the like.

Moreover, in the method according to the third embodiment, key imagesand detailed key images may be stored with a hierarchical structure inthe external storage unit 4 so that detailed key images are displayedwhen the detailed key images are selected. Then, detailed images may beviewed by the user as necessary in response to the user's specification.According to this method, the user can specify scenes out of entireimages while viewing key images and the like and can further viewdetailed images in one scene.

The present invention provides an interface that enables a quick graspof the outline of the content of images and a quick grasp of interestingindividual scenes at a required level of detail, as described above.

The present invention is characterized in that, in order to enable theseadvantages, a plurality of key images that represent a predeterminedmeaning of a certain scene and a plurality of descriptive texts can bepresented as a single unit and a time line and the levels of detail ofthese units can be changed as necessary.

1. A method for presenting the content of images, in which, out ofimages that include at least moving images and can be segmented into aplurality of scenes, groups of two or more key images included in theindividual scenes are extracted, and a digest screen of the images whichincludes the groups of key images, is organized, the method comprising,at least: a scene segmenting step of segmenting the images intoindividual scenes with scene segmenting means, and for each scene thefollowing three steps are provided, a key-image extracting step ofextracting a still image which is made a key image at a point of timefrom each scene with key-image selecting means, apreceding-and-following-key-image extracting step of extracting at leastone still image time-oriented preceding the key image and/or at leastone still image time-oriented following the key image from each scenewith preceding-and-following-key-image selecting means, and, a key-imageweighting step of assigning a weight to the key image in each scene onthe basis of a predetermined measure with key-image weighting means; ascene organizing step of, with scene organizing means, disposing the keyimages in the individual scenes in time-oriented order, expanding orcontracting the key images according to the corresponding weights, andorganizing a digest screen on which the preceding and following keyimages can be disposed in the neighborhood of the corresponding keyimages; and a screen displaying step of displaying the digest screenwith screen displaying means.
 2. The method according to claim 1,wherein, in the key-image weighting step, the key-image weighting meansfurther assigns weights to the individual preceding and following keyimages on the basis of the predetermined measure, and, in the sceneorganizing step, the scene organizing means, according to thecorresponding weights, enables or disables the display of the precedingand following key images and expands or contracts the preceding andfollowing key images when the preceding and following key images are tobe displayed to organize the digest screen.
 3. The method according toclaim 1 or 2, further comprising: a detailed-key-image extracting stepof, with the key-image selecting means, in a case where key images orpreceding and following key images are specified through the digestscreen, extracting as detailed key images at least two still images fromscenes that include the specified key images or preceding and followingkey images; a preceding-and-following-detailed-key-image extracting stepof extracting at least one still image time-oriented preceding eachdetailed key image and/or at least one still image time-orientedfollowing each detailed key image with thepreceding-and-following-key-image selecting means; and adetailed-key-image weighting step of assigning weights to the detailedkey images on the basis of a predetermined measure with the key-imageweighting means, wherein, in the scene organizing step, with the sceneorganizing means, the preceding and following detailed key images aredisposed in the neighborhood of the corresponding detailed key imageswhile the detailed key images in the scenes are disposed intime-oriented order, and the detailed key images are expanded orcontracted according to the corresponding weights to organize a newdigest screen, and, in the screen displaying step, the new digest screenis displayed with the screen displaying means.
 4. The method accordingto claim 3, wherein, in the detailed-key-image weighting step, thekey-image weighting means further assigns weights to the individualpreceding and following detailed key images on the basis of thepredetermined measure, and, in the scene organizing step, the sceneorganizing means expands or contracts the preceding and followingdetailed key images according to the corresponding weights to organizethe digest screen.
 5. The method according to claim 1, furthercomprising: a text defining step of, for the key image and the precedingand following key images or the detailed key images and the precedingand following detailed key images in the individual scenes, definingtexts related to the corresponding still images or the scenes thatinclude the corresponding still images with text defining means,wherein, in the scene organizing step, the texts are expanded orcontracted on the basis of a predetermined measure, and then the digestscreen is organized with the texts and the corresponding still images.6. An apparatus for presenting the content of images, in which, out ofimages that include at least moving images and can be segmented into aplurality of scenes, groups of two or more key images included in theindividual scenes are extracted, and a digest screen of the images whichincludes the groups of key images is organized, the apparatuscomprising, at least: means for inputting the images; scene segmentingmeans for segmenting the images into individual scenes; key-imageselecting means for extracting a still image at a point of time, thestill image being a key image; preceding-and-following-key-imageselecting means for extracting at least one still image time-orientedpreceding the key image and/or at least one still image time-orientedfollowing the key image; key-image weighting means for assigning aweight to the key image on the basis of a predetermined measure; sceneorganizing means for disposing the key images in the individual scenesin time-oriented order, expanding or contracting the key imagesaccording to the corresponding weights, and organizing a digest screenon which the preceding and following key images can be disposed in theneighborhood of the corresponding key images; and screen displayingmeans for displaying the digest screen.
 7. The apparatus for presentingthe content of images according to claim 6, wherein the key-imageweighting means further assigns weights to the individual preceding andfollowing key images on the basis of the predetermined measure, and thescene organizing means, according to the corresponding weights, enablesor disables the display of the preceding and following key images andexpands or contracts the preceding and following key images when thepreceding and following key images are to be displayed to organize thedigest screen.
 8. The apparatus for presenting the content of imagesaccording to claim 6 or 7, further comprising: key-image specifyingmeans for specifying key images or preceding and following key imagesthrough the digest screen, wherein the key-image selecting meansextracts as detailed key images at least two still images from scenesthat include the specified key images or preceding and following keyimages, the preceding-and-following-key-image selecting means extractsat least one still image time-oriented preceding each detailed key imageand/or at least one still image time-oriented following each detailedkey image, the key-image weighting means assigns weights to the detailedkey images on the basis of a predetermined measure, the scene organizingmeans disposes the preceding and following detailed key images in theneighborhood of the corresponding detailed key images while disposingthe detailed key images in the scenes in time-oriented order, andexpands or contracts the detailed key images according to thecorresponding weights to organize a new digest screen, and the screendisplaying means displays the new digest screen.
 9. The apparatus forpresenting the content of images according to claim 8, wherein thekey-image weighting means further assigns weights to the individualpreceding and following detailed key images on the basis of thepredetermined measure, and the scene organizing means expands orcontracts the preceding and following detailed key images according tothe corresponding weights to organize the digest screen.
 10. Theapparatus for presenting the content of images according to claim 6,further comprising: text defining means, for the key image and thepreceding and following key images or the detailed key images and thepreceding and following detailed key images in the individual scenes,for defining texts related to the corresponding still images or thescenes that include the corresponding still images, wherein the textdefining means expands or contracts the texts on the basis of apredetermined measure and then organizes the digest screen with thetexts and the corresponding still images.